Into the Fire
by xxscarletxbutterflyxx
Summary: AU Wanted. WesleyxOCF. Evangeline Chang was a newbie once too, just like Wesley. Takes place before the movie.
1. In which there is potential

_**Disclaimer: I do not own anything. I wish I did though.**_

_***daydreams of the possibilities of owning darling little Wesley***_

_**Wesley: *looks warily about* **_

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_**In which there is potential**_

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"Evangeline Chang." Sloan's voice rang out clearly in the empty space of the dining area.

"Daughter of one of Chinatown's illustrious, underground crime bosses." A simple folder slid across the wooden table and was stopped by the elegant fingers of the woman known as Fox. She delicately turned through the pages looking at surveillance photographs and formal paperwork.

"Well trained in martial arts and she's currently on anti-anxiety medication." Fox's eyes darted up from the table to look at Sloan.

"Suffers from panic attacks," he continued with a meaningful raise of his eyebrows. The rest of the Fraternity members glanced at each other, seemingly communicating an entire conversation in that one gesture. Sloan placed his hands on the table and leaned over.

"I want this one."

Evangeline Chang meanwhile, was halfway across town, sitting in the backseat of one of her family's several cars on the way home from school. Her uniform was neat, pressed, presentable. From the top of her head down to her shoes, she was neat as a pin. Evangeline's mother wouldn't have it any other way. As the daughter of Congressman Chang, it was her responsibility, nay her DUTY to be presentable at all times.

As the car turned into the long driveway leading up to the Chang household, Evangeline's cell phone rang too life. All the while praying it wasn't her mother, she peered at the caller ID. "Damn" No such luck.

"Wei, Ma?"

"Evangeline!" Her mother had a bad habit of screeching into phones, not trusting modern technology enough to speak at a more conventional volume.

"Yeah, Ma."

"The Henry's are coming over for dinner later. I want you to go home and change!" Evangeline rolled her eyes.

"Ma, I have too much homework. You can't possibly expect me to waste time entertaining the Henry's."

"Evangeline Chang! You will do as I say! They have a son, James. Don't make me lose face!" And with that last order, the phone went dead. The car lurched to a stop and its passenger, without waiting for the chauffeur to come around, bolted from the car into the house.

The entire expanse of the Chang residence was decidedly Western in structure, but was not by any means without Oriental touches in the décor. The congressman, an avid supporter of the martial arts, had not only encouraged his daughter to train in the discipline, but had accumulated a rather extensive collections of weapons that hung from various walls of the house.

As the door shut behind her, Evangeline grudgingly dragged herself up the flight of stairs and into her room. After all, she had a dinner to prepare for.

Unbeknownst to her, the man they call the Repairman was watching her every move.

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**_*Wah* So, first story ever! ._**

**_Please give feedback. I have a few more chapters on deck, and I will release them if this tidbit seems to generate some interest. _**

**_And PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't hesitate to offer some constructive criticism. :) _**

**_Always happy to hear it. But no flames please :(_**

**_They make me cry T^T_**

**_*sobs all over Wesley* _**

**_Wesley: Urgh... right... I'm sorry?  
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	2. In which new suspicions are established

_***sigh* must we keep rubbing this in :( **_

_**I don't own Wanted.... **_

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_**In which new suspicions are established**_

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Precisely at 6:30, the doorbell rang throughout the house. "Evangeline! They're here, come down now!" Mrs. Chang was busy straightening her husband's jacket as Evangeline plodded heavily down the stairs wearing a rather charming cream dress. Her father looked up and gave a smile of approval.

"You look lovely," he said and gave her a gentle peck on the cheek.

"I wish you wouldn't slouch as much." Her mother's statement was greeted by a blank stare. With a final sigh, Mrs. Chang moved forward to open the door. Immediately, a smile lit on her face. "Hello! Welcome, welcome." The Henry's ambled in slowly all the time commenting on how lovely the wallpaper was, or how spacious the foyer was. Mrs. Chang brushed each comment off with a peal of lighthearted laughter.

Evangeline looked on, politely indifferent as her father moved forward to shake the hands of the Henry family. "So glad to finally have you over." As he stood face to face with the Henry patriarch, Evangeline noticed that her father's warm feelings were being met with an expression of mild fear and dread. Her observation went unnoticed by the other four persons present, however, and before she could do anything else, her mother had drawn her into the mix.

"This is my daughter, Evangeline. James, I believe you two are the same age."

The boy stepped forward and courteously supplied her with his age. "Eighteen, Mrs. Chang."

"Perfect! So is Evangeline, here." She patted her daughter's shoulder vigorously and gave that horribly contrived airy laugh again. Evangeline stood stock still, a smile still branded on her face. As her mother's laughter faded off, the six people, at a sudden loss of words, shifted in an uncomfortable lapse of silence.

Mr. Chang sprang into action. "How about a tour?" The suggestion was met with immediate relief. Evangeline chanced a glance at Mr. Henry to see that his face had become, if it was at all possible, even more tense.

By the time 8:00 rolled around on the clocks, the Chang/Henry party had moved into the salon for coffee. While the mothers discussed paltry household matters, the fathers had mysteriously disappeared into the office. This left Evangeline at the mercy of James Henry, who was in the middle of an absolutely fascinating conversation about whether his eyes were grey or more blue-grey.

"But you know, I suppose it depends more on the lighting tha-" Evangeline jolted out of her seat, unable to stand another second of the rambling monologue.

"Excuse me, I have to use the restroom."

Free from the clutches of her tormentor, Evangeline walked in the general direction of the downstairs bathroom. On her way she passed by her father's office, whose door was slightly ajar. Her intention was to walk by without disturbing the meeting, but as she neared the entrance she could hear the sound of hushed voices. One, easily recognized as her father's voice, the other, undoubtedly Mr. Henry's. The second voice seemed to be extremely distressed to the point of crying, while her fathers, whispered harshly. Evangeline leaned in closer.

"You have to understand, it's not my fault!" Mr. Henry's voice trembled.

"I don't really give a damn who's responsible, but you're going to fix it. I have a lot of people who are not going to be happy when they realize that their money is gone just because some banker couldn't pull the plates." Evangeline's eyes widened at what she was hearing. The man in that room was nothing like the father she knew. Her father was warm and charismatic, never able to hurt anyone. The man in that room was cold and calculating. He knew how to inspire fear and obedience.

"Now, I hope we are at an understanding because you know that if you don't get those plates, someone else will, and you will become…dispensable." The man in the chair froze.

"My family..." Mr. Henry's reply was cut short

"All the more reason to get those plates. We're done here." That seemed to close the matter and Mr. Henry slumped slightly in his seat. "Now get out of my office."

As the people inside began to move, Evangeline panicked. She silently padded her way past the door into to the large porcelain bathroom. After softly closing the door, she sat down on the floor trying to catch her breath. Under extreme stress, Evangeline would suffer crippling anxiety episodes. Although they would occur during sparring sessions as well, her adrenaline during the spar would often times be enough to counteract the symptoms.

Already, she could feel her airways constricting and her heart rate beating at four times the normal speed. The room pulsated and wavered around her as she stumbled over to the sink to get to the medicine cabinet. By now, she had nearly lost all control of fine motor functions and she struggled to get the cap off the orange plastic bottle. _Come on, come on._ The caplets spilled haphazardly onto her palm, but she somehow managed to ingest two of the red pills inside to avoid passing out. It wouldn't be the first time she blacked out from loss of air and overheating. In fact, it had happened twice before, and in both instances, she awoke to the sound of sirens and a rush of oxygen being pumped between her lips.

Evangeline slowly slumped down to the floor, head in her hands. _What did I just hear? The conversation kept replaying in her head and she didn't know how long she sat in the bathroom until a knock at the door captured her attention. "Evangeline, the Henry's are leaving now. Come say goodbye." _

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**Hm.. let's give this another try shall we? **

**reviews please? :)  
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	3. In which suspicions are confirmed

_***sigh* Here we go again. I don't own anything**_

_***hangs head* **_

_**Wesley: It's ok... *pats back* **_

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__tigerpryor: Thank you so much for the first review! *is encouraged and shall update more :) *

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_**In which suspicions are confirmed**_

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A week had passed since the meetings with the Henry's. For Evangeline the entirety of the seventy-two hours were spent avoiding her father as much as possible. It was the small things that really aroused her suspicions, things that she ordinarily took no notice of. Those long conference calls in that oddly sound proof room, the long line of sleazy looking business men dressed in knockoff splendor, and those cardboard packages stamped with official seals arriving at all hours in the night. Never once had Evangeline questioned her father. There had never been a reason to, but as hard as she tried to brush off that memory of Mr. Henry, she couldn't.

Her _jian_ slid sharply through the air as she went through her new form. _What could he possibly mean by plates?_ As her feet automatically paced through the intricate footwork, her mind wound around the possibilities. _China plates, license plates, banker, plates…_ The pieces slowly fell into place. Embezzlement. It was the only explanation for any of the behavior she had observed. But before she could think any more on the matter, she experienced the strangest sensation trickling down her spine. Somebody was watching her, and very closely. Evangeline's body came to a halt, and she took several deep breaths to slow her beating heart. Without any notice, she whipped her body around to face her voyeur. The room was empty. Her eyes darted from side to side. _I could have sworn…_

Fox leaned against the concrete pillar of the training room. _The girl is sharp._ But in that moment of thought, a blade came whizzing at her neck with deadly precision. Fox ducked her head just in time and rolled out of the way to come face to face with the specimen she was observing just two seconds before.

"Who are you and what are you doing in my house?" Evangeline's voice was low and contained just the slightest tremor.

Fox simply smirked. "I work for the Fraternity, and we've been watching you." Subtlety was never one of her strong suits.

Evangeline simply stared back, keeping her _jian_ steady. "Hands up." The woman in front of her serenely complied with a look of absolute amusement on her face. "I'm going to ask you again, and I want a real answer, not some bullshit story about Fraternities."

"I think you've got the wrong idea. I don't have a weapon. I'm not hear to hurt you or rob you."

"Why are you here?"

"I told you, we've been watching you and-" Without letting her finish, Evangeline charged with her sword. What unfolded was a brilliantly choreographed dance of sword an flesh. Fox's reflexes seemed to be as fast as Evangeline's attacks. The blade managed to miss the tattooed assassin by the merest centimeter each swipe it took. But they could only carry on so long without a mistake. For what seemed like the thousandth time, Evangeline's blade came swiping out of the air two inches away from Fox's cheek. What it managed to do was cut off a lock of dark brown hair that floated softly to the ground. It was then that Fox finally pulled out the weapon she supposedly didn't have and curved a bullet straight at Evangeline. It was enough to stop her in her tracks and send her to the ground to avoid the spinning metal slug that came spiraling at her. Fox took the opportunity to level her gun, pressing the smoking muzzle to the girl's temple. For a moment, the only sound in the room was the heavy breathing of both parties. Evangeline's blood pounded, thudding through her ears. She could slowly feel her heart begin to accelerate and her chest begin to constrict. No one would hear her in here. The woman kneeling by her side could do anything to her, and no one would know until it was too late. It was this realization that set her going on a panic attack.

"So now you'll listen to me?" Fox questioned giving a little push to the gun in her hands. She noticed, however, that Evangeline's skin had turned an alarming shade of red, and her shudders had yet to stop, and instead seemed to get stronger with each passing second. Fox quickly took her by the shoulder and flipped her onto her back. What she saw were Evangeline's eyes, wide as saucers, and a look of utter fear on the girls face. Her lips were parted slightly, gasping for air, trying to inflate her lungs again. The symptoms were all too similar. "Calm down. I'm not here to hurt you. Comon, deep breaths." Fox had to shout to be heard over the noise that was taking place in Evangeline's head.

The entire world was wavering and pulsating around her. Her stalker above her seemed so far away. Her voice was muzzled, and the outlines of her face kept changing size. Evangeline thought she heard a vague mumbling coming from the woman's lips, but was too focused on trying to breath to listen. Before long, she the edges of her visual fields began to blacken and it was only a matter of time before she passed out. The word _Embezzlement_ was the last thing in her head before she stopped thinking.

The next morning Evangeline awoke to a pounding headache and a familiar sight. The striped wallpaper in her room was oddly comforting as she became more aware of her surroundings. Her mother walked in at that point. "Aiya! Evangeline! You worry me so much ah!? Why you didn't take your medicine you silly girl?" Her mother sat by her bed and ran her hands vigorously over her daughter's cheeks. "You should be more careful!" Oddly the first thing that Evangeline thought of was not her attacker, but her father.

"Where's dad?" Her mother looked at her with surprise.

"He's working in the office! Eva-" Without another word to her mother, Evangeline darted from her bed and ran downstairs. She had to get this issue sorted out once and for all. Her mother ran after her and called her name from the banisters. "Evangeline! Don't bother your baba!"

As she race into the kitchen, She knocked into one of the housekeepers, holding a newspaper in her hand. "Miss Evangeline, are you alright?" The girl in front of her was disheveled looking horribly pale and still in her pajamas. She never received an answer to her question, and she noticed that the young woman was reading the front page of the newspaper with alarm.

Body of Jonathan Henry Found! was the headline. A cold wave of fear splashed over Evangeline as she read over the details of the discovery. Mr. Henry's was supposed to be on a business trip, but when he didn't come back, his family began to worry. A search was sent out, but quickly concluded when they found his body floating in Lake Michigan. Evangeline stood up, and with newspaper clenched in her fists, she continued her trip to her father's office. By the time she had gotten there, her frenzy had worn down and left her nearly in tears.

Without knocking, she stumbled into the room. Tears running down her cheeks, she stood in front of her father who stared at the sight before him. "Evangeline you should be in bed! What's the matter." "It was you wasn't it?" Her father looked at his trembling daughter in alarm. "You did it. It was all you and whatever thing that you were working on."

"Evangeline, slow down, what was me?"

"This!" She slammed the newspaper down in front of her father and points vehemently at the headline. "This! Mr. Henry!" Her father looked up at her.

"What is this?"

"Oh like you don't know! You planned all of this! You were the one behind it!" Her father rose from his seat.

"Evangeline! Listen to yourself! Do you have ANY idea what you are accusing me of?"

"I know exactly what I'm accusing you of." Her entire body was trembling now, a mix between fear, nerves, and anger. "I heard you! I heard you and heard it all! You're responsible for this! You were the one who got him killed! And for what? Plates? What the hell do you need plates for? I can't believe I was so blind to this! Does mom know?" Her voice had reached an absolute screech now, and her body wracked with sobs as tears spread furiously down her face. "How coul-" Before she could say another word, the congressman's hand connected sharply with her face. The impact stunned her and sent her crashing to the floor. Evangeline clutched her cheek and looked up at her father. He had the same look on his face that she had seen two weeks before. This was the first time he had ever physically struck her, and her mind struggled wildly to wrap itself around that iota of information.

"You have no idea what I've had to do to get this far! You should be thanking me! I've given you everything! Everything that you have asked!" Evangeline's lower lip trembled as she continued to look up at the man formerly known as her father. He paused. His eyes were bulging and his upper lip was curled into a sneer. She quickly pushed herself up from the floor and ran out of the office and out the front door without bothering to put her shoes on. The gravel was cold beneath her feet as she ran down the drive way, slipping every so often on the individual pebbles. Her eyes were still blurred with tears and she didn't even notice the black Ferrari parked at the gate. Shouts from the security personnel her father called were heard behind her. She ran faster, pumping her arms desperately, trying to just get beyond those gates. The door of the car opened suddenly to reveal Fox sitting calmly in the front seat.

"Get in kid."

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**Ok Chapter 3 :)**

**I have chapter four on deck at the moment!**

**Yayz! Keep the reviews coming!  
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	4. In which there is a car chase

_**I again, don't own a thing...**_

_**Wesley has stopped caring :(**_

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inmate: I loooved Fox in the movie too :D Don't worry, we'll definitely be seeing more of our resident hard ass :)

Superdani: Thanks for the review :D and yeah but I'm taking a bit of artistic license, don't want it to be exactly like Wesley's story :)

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_**In which there is a car chase**_

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Get into the car or face the wrath of her father? At that point it was a pretty simple decision, and Evangeline slid herself into the leather interior before the door slammed behind her. The anxiety was setting in again as Fox accelerated from zero to eighty, taking them away from the front yard of the Chang household. "Hey kid, Evangeline right?" The girl sitting next to her in the car had turned a deathly shade of white. Her entire faced glossed with a thin sheen of sweat. "You have to learn to breath. It's not ex-"

"Right, like I can actually control the fact that I have anxiety attacks. Shit where's my medication." Fox smirked knowingly.

"Those, aren't panic attacks."

"What do you mean?"

Before Evangeline could get a satisfactory answer, Fox's eyes darted to the rearview mirror and pulled the car to an even higher speed. They were being followed by two very obvious black cars. "Those yours?" Evangeline turns to look around.

"Yeah. Don't make me go back, please?"

Fox chuckles. "Oh we have no intentions of letting you go back, not yet at least." The rear window of the car suddenly shattered with bone tingling force, and Evangeline felt a solid thunk as a bullet lodged itself in her seat. She couldn't resist letting out a yelp of surprise. The assassin sitting next to her, however, was unfazed and instead of showing any fear, calmly reached over into the dashboard and pulled out a gun. She reached around behind Evangeline and fired three rounds, each of them hitting the tinted glass plates of the cars behind them with deadly accuracy. The first car, completely taken aback by the sudden peal of gunfire fell back immediately leaving another two in its wake. "Shit." Fox muttered quietly under her breath.

Rather than turn back around to fire another round at the cars in pursuit, Fox pressed the accelerator to the floor and began a wild path swerving through the narrow streets and alleyways of Chicago. If she could just shake them off for two seconds, they would be able to get away. Two seconds was all she asked for. Evangeline, silent and wedged tightly into her seat had began to turn a slight shade of green as she tried to adjust to the madly spinning vehicle that ground its way around the city beneath her.

"It's ok, we just need two seconds." Fox muttered to the girl, thinking the statement may provide some semblance of comfort. Evangeline merely nodded weakly and slumped even lower in the seat. The two cars behind them were still in hot pursuit, when Fox was offered some sort of divine miracle in the bizarre complexities of Chicago's metropolitan infrastructure. In front of them was this narrow little alleyway, impossible for her car to even fit inside, horizontally that is. At the entrance rested a small little triangular ramp. Before pulling her car to slide vertically through the passage way, Fox turned to her hapless victim. "Hold on."

Literally half a second later, they were careening sideways through the short alcove. The two cars behind them had ground abruptly to a halt, the drivers staring at the sight that they had just witnessed. Just as soon as it had begun, everything in the black Ferrari turned right side up again. Evangeline's eyes were nearly bulging out of her head at this point. What had just transpired was something she had never seen much less experienced ever before.

"We're home free, kid. I'll let you know when we get there." Again, all sorts of questions filled Evangeline's mind. Where exactly was there? Still finding her tongue to be incapable of producing anything that remotely resembled human speech, Evangeline settled for leaning her head against the cold glass window, now scratched up from being dragged along the ground for those few moments. This just couldn't be real.

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_**Working on the next chapter :)**_

_**As always reviews are appreciated  
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	5. In which potential is realized

I own nothing nothing nothing.

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Thank everyone for all the encouraging reviews :D :D :D

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**_In which potential is realized_**

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The next thing Evangeline felt was the car lurching to a halt in front of a textile factory. The old broken down building contained a million buzzing machines in its depths and it seemed a testament to the strength of modern building materials that it remained standing all these years. "Kid, we're here." The simple statement was enough to jolt the girl out of her seat. As she opened the door, she noticed the faintest traces of a tremor running up and down her legs. The ride had taken quite a toll on her nerves, and her preexisting condition didn't make it any easier.

"What are you going to do to me..?" It seemed an overdramatic question, but considering the circumstances of the past hour or so, one that was perfectly within reason. Fox simply found the question amusing and couldn't help but break into a rather bemused smirk. Without a word, she pushed open the door and after checking to make sure Evangeline was following, began her trail through the lanes of buzzing looms. The noise was almost unbearable and it was a wonder that Fox was not rendered deaf by her constant exposure to the environment. Just as the pair had passed the sixth row of machines, the flurry of workers in front of them thinned out enough to reveal Sloan examining a swatch of fabric.

Fox managed to catch his eye for the briefest of moments, inciting a nod from the Fraternity leader. "Comon, kid. In here." They ducked into the mainframe's adjoining office before quickly shutting the door after them. The room was mercifully quieter.

"I'm sorry, I still don't get this. Why are we in a textile factory."

Fox only gave a knowing smile before the door opened once again allowing Sloane to slide his way in. "Fox. And, Evangeline Chang, I presume?"

Though his face remained the definition of kindness, she couldn't help but nurture a wary attitude towards the wizened man. "Yes. How…"

"Did I know your name? All in good time my dear. From the look on your face, I know, you must have questions for me. I will ask you, however, to let me say my piece, and I promise, I will provide you with all the answers you could possibly want."

Evangeline chanced a glance at Fox, who remained in her place, statuesque and stoic.

"Evangeline, we belong to a group called the Fraternity. Our purpose is to maintain stability in an unstable world - kill one, save a thousand; that's our philosophy. Within the fabric of this world, every life hangs by a thread. We are that thread - a fraternity of assassins with the weapons of fate. Our organization employs a different breed of human; ones much like yourself-"

The girl in front of Sloan held up her hands at this point. For nearly the entire spiel, she had sat fixed in her place, trying to absorb in the gravity of the situation and the choice that was being placed in her hands. The word assassin had been shocking enough. Hearing "different breed of human" was just the icing on the cake. "Wait. Wait. Just hold on." Evangeline placed her outstretched hands to her ears, physically refusing to hear any more. She began to pace across the floor in long sweeping strides counting backwards from 200 to try and regulate her breathing. "I'm not sure I understand."

"It's simple." Sloan walked closer to her and laid his hands on her slender shoulders. "What you're experiencing right now, at this moment is precisely what sets you apart."  
Evangeline grimaced. "Sorry? Last time I checked, anxiety doesn't exactly make me a super hero."

The man had to smile at that. "This is not a panic attack."

"Please, I just need my medication."

"Evangeline. Listen to me. You have a gift. We can teach you to control it. Channel it and do some good. Just trust me. Join us; we can help."

Evangeline paused. "Tell me you're kidding. I don't want to play super hero. Please, just let me go."

Sloane gave an understanding smile. "Let me show you what I'm talking about before you make any final decisions." The entire situation was crazy to Evangeline. Assassins, looms, Fraternities. It all seemed like something out of a comic book or bad action film. Before she could offer any words of protest, Fox strode across the room and opened the door, motioning for Evangeline and Sloane to exit. Looking back and forth at the two rather imposing figures flanking the exit, our heroine saw no choice but to comply.

The small party made its way through the maze of machines before passing through the heavy metal port at the opposite end of the room. What met Evangeline's eyes (and nose) was the underbelly of a slaughterhouse, complete with freshly killed bodies of pigs and cows hanging by their ankles. She visibly recoiled before bracing herself and following Fox deep into the recesses of the room.

"Evangeline, allow me to introduce you to the rest of our organization" Sloane motioned to the men that seemed to melt into view from the shadows. "Cross, Mr. X, The Repairman, the Butcher, the Gunsmith, and of course the Exterminator." Evangeline's head was spinning with the array of codenames. All of the men, standing together, some leaning against the table placed in the middle of the room, looked up at the sound of the metal doors clanging together. "Gentlemen, Miss Evangeline Cheng." She could feel their eyes grazing over her body, no doubt questioning her choice of apparel (she was still in her sleep clothes) and her ability to do whatever it was they did.

It was Cross who spoke first. "Well, let's see what you can do." He threw a casual smirk at the man known as Mr. X, and both gave gravely chuckles. The men stepped back from the table to reveal several pieces lying against the rough wood. The one they called the Gunsmith gave a final look at the table before stepping back as well. Sloane opened his hands, "Go on, Evangeline." Fox left her side at that point to join her colleagues in the testing of their new potential member.

Evangeline looked towards Sloane. "Go on and what…" She was at a complete loss for what to do. Sloane offered no assistance and instead simply gave a nod to the table. Evangeline walked forward uncertainly, shivering in the cold of the massive warehouse. Skimming her fingers lightly over the pieces on the table, she looked up one last time and gave a nervous glance to her audience. The men were muttering softly to one another, no doubt about her ineptitude, while Fox simply stared back in silence. She took a deep breath and picked up the closest firearm. Completely unexpected was the weight of the metal. With a small exclamation of surprise, Evangeline haphazardly attempted to keep hold of the gun. Biting her bottom lip, she turned again to Sloane. "What do I do with it?"

This question elicited a few looks of amusement from the others in the room, but Sloane just gave an understanding smile and pointed to a target at the far end of the room. "Aim for the center of that target."

As Evangeline turned to face the bull's eye located hundreds of yards away (a nearly impossible distance for a novice), the leader of the Fraternity turned to Cross and gave a barely perceptible nod. Cross then automatically reached into his jacket and pulled out a small handgun and pressed it to Evangeline's temple. He slowly clicked the safety off. "It's in your best interest not to miss."

As soon as the cold metal pressed against her head, Evangeline's adrenaline kicked in and set the room pulsating about her. Her neck and face warmed up and was undoubtedly turning red as a tomato as she struggled to focus in on the target. Thinking only of keeping her life, she pulled hard on the trigger, letting the bullet fly and hit the x in the center. Immediately, the muzzle was removed and Evangeline slumped down to the ground.

Cross simply walked back to his place in line and muttered, "She hit the center, but nearly passed out trying to do it. That's potential at least."

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**Review as always **


	6. In which training begins

_**Again I own nothingggg**_

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_**In which training begins**_

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Sloane had kindly allowed Evangeline the rest of the day by herself in her room. Allowing Fox to lead her upstairs to the living quarters, she was shown a rather Spartan space, complete with the usual necessities: bed, mirror, closet, a flat surface or two. As soon as she was left alone, Evangeline curled up in the center of that saggy mattress and hugged her knees to her chest. What had she gotten herself into this time? Out of the frying pan, into the fire as they say. She had the nearly unbearable urge to go to Sloane, ad proclaim that it was all a mistake. Surely it was all a mistake. But something in the darkest recesses of her mind told her to stay. As hostile as the environment was, she felt some sort of raw magnetism holding her in place.

Another day wouldn't hurt, right?

Unfortunately for Evangeline, "hurt" was the general theme of the next few days. Almost as soon as she had fallen asleep, Evangeline felt the covers being ripped from her body and a rush of cold air made her instinctively curl tighter into the fetal position. Before she could come to her senses, Fox had tossed a white t-shirt and black sweats on her bed. "Comon kid, we got a lot of stuff to cover today." On her lips was the faintest trace of amusement that managed to escape Evangeline in her sleep induced stupor. Without another word, the girl dragged herself from bed and began dressing.

It was another two minutes before she had found her way out onto the landing outside her room. It was there that she was met with Fox and Sloane. The leader of the Fraternity turned and greeted her with an almost paternal smile. "Ah, Evangeline. I hope you found your room to your liking?" Never one to be impolite, Evangeline returned with a smile of her own and a soft "Yes, thank you."

Sloane rubbed his hands together. "Good good, now did Fox alert you to today's itinerary?" Evangeline shook her head no. "Well then, follow me, and we'll walk and talk." Evangeline scurried after him and began walking slightly behind Fox and Sloane as they led her to what looked like the freezer they were in the day before. The man she knew as the Butcher stood in the middle of the room, surrounded by carnage from the day's slaughter. In his hands he held two knives, sharpening the edges against each other.

The burly man regarded her with an air of misgiving. "She looks smaller than she did yesterday." Evangeline furrowed her brows and gave him a look of mild annoyance.

Sloane gave a small chuckle. "Nonetheless, do what you can with her. Fox?" He gave a small nod of acknowledgement to the woman standing behind him before walking out of the room. Fox remained, and placed herself on a set of stairs near the door.

Evangeline only had a few seconds to survey the situation before her attention was called back to the man standing center stage. "Let's see what you can do with these." Out of nowhere, one of the knives came flying at her head. It was by pure chance that her hand shot out to catch it by the wooden handle. "Alright, come at me."

She stood frozen. Come at him? It perfectly confirmed in her mind that the Butcher was insane. Taking a deep breath and preparing her body to whip through the techniques she had studied since she was a child, Evangeline braced herself before running at the man. The Butcher was surprisingly quick for a man of his size, but Evangeline's lithe form was quicker. The muscle memory left by the strenuous forms she practiced had made wielding the knife in her hand almost second nature. Any blow that the butcher dealt her, she parried. And any blow she parried would come back with a vengeance from the robust arm of the Butcher.

It was another ten minutes, and neither side had landed a blow. With a roll of her eyes, Fox stood up and gave an unexpectedly loud order. "Ok, enough!"

The two bodies moved apart, both breathing heavily, still glaring at each other. It was that high tension scene that Sloane chose to return. He gave a few short claps. "Well, it seems you're comfortable enough with knives. Let's see your facility with guns, shall we?"

Evangeline gave a slightly nervous look. She was still slumped over, trying to catch her breath. "Come along Evangeline." There was obviously no time to stop, and Sloane seemed anxious to depart. Out of pure force of habit, Evangeline turned and gave a deep bow to the Butcher, who watched with an air of incredulity having been treated to such an antiquated nicety. Unsure of what to do, he simply raised a heavy arm to rub the back of his neck uneasily.

"Gunsmith's waiting in loading. Fox, I'll take her on my own. Evangeline here is turning out to be quite an interesting case." With a slight nod, Fox took off in a random direction, (or it seemed random to Evangeline at least) while Evangeline was herded into the long, insulated dock.

An array of targets was lined up against the far wall while the Gunsmith stood in front of a table, arms crossed. Sloane walked in and immediately took his place across from the man. "Well" he clapped a hand on Evangeline's shoulder "It seems we've underestimated our guest here."

The Gunsmith gave a look that screamed incredulity. "We'll see when I'm done with her." Evangeline gulped. The threat was reinforced with a short glare from the man. Sloane gave her a gentle nudge towards the table, and stood back to watch the ensuing scene.

"You ever held a piece before?"

"No."

"Seen one?"

"In pictures and movies I guess."

"Right."

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_**Review as always :)**_


	7. Inwhich a source of inspiration is found

_**In which a source of inspiration is found **_

Instead of being led through her usual paces, Evangeline found herself walking alongside Sloane towards a room on the other side of the mill in the ungodly hours of the morning. As she struggled to keep up with the man, she found herself wondering where he would be taking her. Oddly, she wasn't afraid. Call it Stockholm Syndrome, but after nearly two weeks of staying with the Fraternity, an unspoken level of trust had been attained between Evangeline and her "captors." She no longer questioned he motives of Sloane, reminding herself that nothing here was done without reason.

When they finally reached the door at the end of the hall, Sloane gripped the handles of the door and pushed them inwards to reveal a huge room, containing a loom. Thousands upon thousands of gossamer threads wound themselves in complex patterns, eventually converging at the center of the room, where the massive machine was clicking away weaving a perfectly ordinary piece of cotton cloth.

"Now, Evangeline, this is the first and last time you will be seeing this, understood? I'll explain it once, but then you never set foot in this room again." Evangeline nodded silently. "This" he said gesturing grandly, "is the Loom of Fate."

Minutes later, the door to the forbidden room opened once more and a weary Evangeline was ushered out. Though they had only been in the room a short span of time, the information imparted to her was enough to make her feel like she had aged considerably from the child who had been led in like a lamb to slaughter. The gravity of their task had just now begun to hit the girl. Once wary of even killing a fly, she had to learn to exterminate humans. Not ordinary humans, however, only those that needed to be purged from the human race.

The Repairman waited outside, binding his fists with measured accuracy. Somehow, Evangeline guessed that her day was far from over. Despite the exhaustion that pulled at her mind, she plodded forward next to Sloane. Hand to hand combat. It seemed the only logical assumption of today's itinerary. Unfortunately for her, the Fraternity's idea of "hand to hand combat" involved a chair and a good deal of rope.

"She ok?' the Repairman quirked an eyebrow at the girl. "Looks like she's about to puke."

Evangeline shook her head. "I'm fine." It wasn't convincing.

"Yeah? Ok, from your lips to my ears." Sharing a mysterious smile to Sloane, he motioned to a chair. "Have a seat." She planted herself on the acetic wooden structure set up in the middle of the room, mentally preparing herself for what she thought was going to be her task of defending against attacks. It wasn't until the Repairman returned and started circling her like a shark that she noticed he held about a yard of rope in his hands.

Before she could protest, her arms were bound behind her, and as gentle as he had been tying her arms, she couldn't help but think that things were going to get a whole lot more violent. Sloane surveyed the entire scene with his usual cool gaze.

"Now since it's your first day with me, I'm gonna give you a break. We'll take it easy, hm?" Before Evangeline could ask anything else, a fist came flying out of nowhere, hitting her straight across the jaw. She groaned and felt blood spreading from her lip. Giving a few coughs that emitted a spray of blood on the ground. Pulling her head back to look at her assailant, she shot a dark glare at the man, thinking the entire time, _there's a method to his madness, there's a method to his madness. _The logic that Evangeline wanted to see in the situation prevented her panic attack from kicking in.

Indeed the entire setup was a test of sorts. Before Sloane would even think of continuing to spend time and energy preparing the girl, he had to be sure of her temperament; how she reacted to pain, how quick she was to anger. If the thresholds for both were high, the work would continue until the next test: loyalty. The beating went on.

Again and again, the Repairman would throw a punch. "Had enough yet, kid?" he growled. His fists were starting to smart, and he was wondering how much more he would have to do.

Evangeline spat out another glob of blood. Vehemently she aimed for his shoes. "Why? Getting tired?" She would play their game. If they wanted to test her, they would get a hell of a lot of data. Her mother had always blamed her stubborn nature on her father. The blond hair seemed to quiver with anger. He looked down at the leather shoes, smattered with red.

"Not even close." Sloane was pleased. This girl was turning out to be like the others had been. Stubborn as Fox had been; gutsy as Mr. X; and full of "spunk" as Cross. This all would work in her favor. He was roused from his thoughts by the sound of wood cracking against cement. The last punch that the Repairman had come at Evangeline with never found its mark. Before he could get at her jaw, she had shot her legs out by a piston and pushed herself back, falling to the ground. The frail structure flew apart, the ropes wrapped around her body fell slack. The circulation started pumping back into her extremities, but it nothing to abate her burning muscles and aching face.

The Repairman, a bit winded, but none worse for the wear regained his stance over her body as she struggled to right herself. Evangeline's entire body quaked with exertion before her mind just gave up and everything flew into black.

Sloane approached. "Not bad for her first day."

"Yea. Not bad at all," the Repairman sighed. He rubbed his knuckles, slowly unwinding the cloth, now stained pink with blood and sweat.

The doors burst open, revealing Cross and Mr. X themselves walking into the room. Both Sloane and the Repairman turned to face them.

"Whoa, what do we have here?" Cross opened with a smile. Mr. X just let out a low whistle. "How many did she take?"

Instead of verbally answering the Repairman held up his hands.

Sloane cut in with a smile. "You've underestimated her, Cross. I think you owe her an apology when she wakes up, but in the meantime, you and Mr. X could make yourselves useful and take her to the Recovery Room."

The two men looked at each other before moving to untangle Evangeline from the rubble. Mr. X scooped her up with ease before walking out. Cross followed and bowed out with a short salute to Sloane. "You got it, boss."


	8. In which team bonding occurs

_**Like I said, writing up a storm! (I just thought how funny it would be if the last chapter was called "In which team bondage" occurs. Get it? 'cause she gets tied up! haha... :( )  
**_

_**It's so unbelievably difficult to write a story in the third person with names like "the Exterminator" and "the Repairman"**_

_**Mr. X, Cross, and Fox, are slightly easier to work with :) **_

_**And FIRST WESLEY SIGHTING!**_

_***glomps!* For you, Peaches :) Thanks for the quick review haha  
**_

_**

* * *

In which team bonding occurs

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**_

Evangeline awoke feeling something heavy sitting on her chest, and a thin sheath covering the contours of her face. Sputtering, she drew in a shaky breath, restricted by the heavy block of wax. She struggled to move the muscles of her face, each time creating tiny feather-like cracks in her face.

"Hey, look who's up?" Immediately, she felt a strong par of hands roughly brushing the stray pieces of the healing solution from her face.

"What the hell am I lying in?" Her limited range of motion only allowed her to see a fraction of the room. It looked dank and dungeon like, both characteristics that did not work to her advantage. The stark environment she suddenly found herself in made her wonder if she had done something stupid before she passed out; maybe got blood on the Loom of Fate or something.

She grimaced as the hands that were previously helping to crack the waxy layer patted her cheeks roughly. "Don't worry, you're in the healing room. The Repairman did quite a number on you, little lady." Looking up, she noticed for the first time that the voice belonged to Cross. "And to answer your question, it's some special healing formula. Don't ask me exactly what it is, I don't like chemistry."

"Am I naked…" She looked up at the man accusingly. He simply held his hands up in a gesture of innocence.

"Don't worry. Fox took care of all that. I didn't see any girly parts."

Evangeline released the breath she was holding and closed her eyes, wincing when she realized that her body still ached. A man identified as the Exterminator earlier came forward from the shadows, cradling a rat in one hand and a bottle of Russian vodka in the other.

"Oooh! Wakey, wakey." He thrust the bottle into the hands of Cross who promptly unscrewed the cap and took a swig for himself before holding it towards Evangeline, still trapped in the tub.

"Oh, wait. I forgot. You're just a kid, and the Fraternity does not condone underage drinking." Evangeline simply rolled her eyes.

"But I suppose tying people down to chairs and beating them senseless is ok?"

"Ok, since you want it so badly. Shh. Don't tell Sloane." Closing with a wink, he fills the cap with the clear liquid and fed it gently to the girl. Evangeline felt the liquor burn its way down her throat and coughed lightly.

"Am I allowed to get out?"

"You'll have to wait for Fox. Unless I'm allowed to see." Looking from the acerbic glare on her face, he lurched himself to his feet and departed with a short wave over his shoulder. The Exterminator took his place, still petting the rat.

"Is that a watch on the rat?" The man, obviously not used to people being interested in his designs, perked up considerably.

"Yes. It's an idea that I'm working on. You strap explosives to these little critters here and release them." Evangeline raised her eyebrow. "You'd need thousands."

"How would you get them?" she questioned innocently.

"They're smart creatures, but they love… peanut butter." She almost burst out laughing. Peanut butter. The man's accent was pleasantly laced with a foreign one. Russian if she would have to guess, and she was actually enjoying his company before the sound of heels clicking against stone announced the arrival of Fox, who thankfully was carrying a set of clothing.

"I'll take over from here." Truth be told, Evangeline was always a little weary of the woman. She always watched with an air of amusement as Evangeline was training. Her characteristic smirk was unsettling and there was always the sneaking suspicion in Evangeline's mind that the woman was some sort of sadist. But the way she looked at her now, with a sort of softness in her eyes made her think twice about the classification.

"Heard you took quite a beating yesterday."

Evangeline shot her a crooked grin. "I'm in here, aren't I?"

There was a slight pause as Fox turned up a dial on the floor next to the tub. The hard wax began to soften, eventually turning clear and liquidized enough to allow Evangeline to pull herself from the hole. Just as she rose from the tub, trying pitifully to cover her nakedness, Fox tossed a towel at her.

"Nice job, kid." And with that she turned on her heel and walked out of the room, leaving the newest recruit to dress alone.

Minutes later, Evangeline was back in her room at the window on the far wall. She pulled gingerly at her lips, examining her remaining cuts and bruises in the reflection of the glass panes. A sudden sound a truck door slamming directed her attention past the barrier of glass. It looked like a delivery of some sort. The Butcher was out back in the loading docks waiting for Mr. X who went around to the back of the truck and opened it. The two men stepped forward and pulled something out. It was covered in a bloody sheet, but was unmistakably a body. Evangeline felt the blood run cold in her veins. She turned away and caught Sloane just as he was preparing to knock on the doorframe.

"I hope you're feeling better, Ms. Chang, but we do have much to do, today, and a very limited time to do it." Resigned, Evangeline followed the man out the door.

It was another several hours before she was allowed to rest again. She stumbled into the dining area and all but collapsed, or rather unceremoniously dumped herself in a seat next to the Exterminator. "Look who it is." A frown spread across his face as he took in her disheveled appearance. "Whew. Could've taken a shower before you came to dinner."

Too tired to protest, Evangeline presented a rather rude gesture, catching the attention of Cross as he passed with a plate of food balanced in his hands. "That's not a very lady-like gesture." He slipped onto the bench across from her. The man was taking a rather paternal interest in the girl and was having just as much fun watching over her as he was teasing her. It seemed strange to any other passer by that he would form such an attachment so quickly, but to those who knew him, it was hardly a surprise.

This trait in him made things especially difficult when he had to be separated from his wife and newborn son. In fact, whenever he looked at Evangeline, he was vaguely reminded that she younger than Wesley would be. He would be lying if he didn't admit to keeping tabs on his boy. Right now, his son lived a perfectly ordinary life, perfectly boring life, completely unaware of the genetic gift he had.

In the last few hours, he had found himself looking at the small girl, wondering to himself why wasn't it Wesley who was here instead of her. She was too young. Only eighteen. Wesley was in his twenties already, more than ready to take on the task. Sure, he was a bit more spastic than she was, but he could be taught, coached.

There was nothing to be done. Since he couldn't be with Wesley, Evangeline would have to do. No doubt, she would miss her father. No doubt, he missed his son. It was a win-win for everyone.

"What's your name going to be hm?" Evangeline looked up at Cross, clearly confused. What was her name going to be? The Exterminator piped up.

"That's right! Evangeline isn't exactly the most threatening of names." She couldn't help but crack a smile at that. It certainly wasn't.

"Well my parents didn't exactly have assassin in mind when they named me." Soon the entire table was involved. The Gunsmith, coming in soon after Evangeline sat next to Cross, Fox eating next to the Exterminator, and Mr. X who had come with the Butcher and were sitting at the far end of the bench.

"Kid?"

"What self-respecting assassin would call themselves 'Kid'"

"Worked for Billy the Kid didn't it?"

"Wasn't exactly an assassin, now was he?"

"Something about Angel?"

"Angel of Death?"

"That's tacky, and too long."

"What about just Eve, or Eva or something?"

"You might as well just have said let's give her a nickname."

"Fits her doesn't it?"

"Eh, we'll work on it…"

As the team jostled around her, Evangeline felt for the first tine in the days that she's been here, a sense of community. As corny as it was, it felt like a family, and for the first time, she felt like staying here wasn't going to be so bad after all.

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_**I hope this chapter is as funny as I thnk it is... **_

_**I know we didn't get to see a lot of Cross in the movie, but I like writing these types of characters...so.. why not haha? **_

_**Review as always :D  
**_


	9. In which the real work begins

I'm BACK :D

Did you all miss me? Here's a long chapter as reward for your patience :)

I hope my rustiness hasn't affected my writing too badly. Reviews are welcome as always.

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_**In which the real work begins**_

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It had been another week and a half of training before Evangeline was even given the idea that she would have to start taking on targets. During that time, she had been forced to go train running with Fox, had her hand bitten by a rather vicious machine in the pursuit of a shuttle, and given a few more rounds with both the Repairman and the Gunsmith. As it turns out, the Fraternity wasn't very creative with nicknames, so Angie would have to do for now.

As Evangeline, newly christened Angie, sparred with Cross as the Butcher looked on; Sloane and Mr. X stood observing on the grated catwalk above. Mr. X leaned against the wrought iron railing facing away from the action scene below with his arms crossed while Sloane stood in his habitual position, both hands clasped on the bar, leaning slightly forward. Sloane spoke first, "She's doing well."

"Was that supposed to be a question, or are you just stating a fact?" The sentence was an anomalous outpouring for the usually taciturn man. Sloane simply chuckled in response.

"I think she's ready." He received a noncommittal grunt in return.

"Whatever you say, boss. Just telling you, I don't think she's going to take it well."

"It is a test of loyalty, Mr. X. I need to know that she is and will be wholly committed to this organization. Our girl is a valuable asset, as are the rest of you, and just like you all, she must prove her allegiance. Granted this may be a bit more extreme than what some of you had to do, but I need absolute certainty, and Evangeline is… different from the rest of you. Softer, pristine…undamaged." Mr. X visibly flinched at the word "undamaged." He had to admit the validity of Sloane's statement. They were all broken people, already hardened against the world and the evils they knew it produced when Sloane found them. Evangeline was… untouched. The worst she had experienced was peripherally finding out about her father's counterfeit operation, and she hadn't even touched on the more grisly details of Mr. Chang's "business dealings."

A victorious shout from Evangeline down on the floor redirected the attention of the men standing guard. Sloane's lips curved into a smirk as the young girl below gave the Butcher a high five before taking a few victory laps around her hapless victim on the ground.

"Sloane! Did you see that?!" The leader of the Fraternity gave a small wave. He had to admit, the newest recruit to the team brought a new dynamic to the group: a more bubbly and playful environment that was a welcome change from the usual sarcasm and "bad-assery" (a term supplied by Evangeline) that defined the atmosphere previous to her arrival. "Boo ya, Cross!"

Cross pulled himself from the ground and coiled his arm around Evangeline's neck. "Comon kid, that last one was a cheap shot and penalties for cheap shots are knuckle sandwiches."

"That's bullshit, man! Geroooph!" she grumbled as the man proceeded to muffle her face in his chest.

"Watch your mouth, kid!"

"You are DIGGING your primate knuckles into my CRANIUM, you old man!"

Mr. X turned to face Sloane. "She's just a kid. No matter how bad he was, she shouldn't have to do this."

Sloane turned to face his companion just as the Butcher stepped forward to release the helpless Evangeline from the grips of Cross. "Children, Mr. X, must grow up. Especially if you are a child of the Fraternity." And with that, he turned and walked away, leaving an ever-glacial Mr. X to stand and contemplate the strings of Fate that pulled them all to this point.

Before he could follow their fearless leader off the gangplank, Cross mounted the stairs and took his place where Sloane had stood just seconds before. Ruffling his hair with a towel slung around his neck, he took his place beside Mr. X. "What was that all about?" he asked motioning with a short jut of the chin in Sloane's direction.

"He said our girl's ready." Even Mr. X had taken on the affectionate habit of referring to Evangeline as "our girl."

"He still pushing the original plan?"

"Well the Loom listed him almost a month ago. He's still in limbo."

"I don't like it. She won't get through it. All it's going to do is break her." Cross's knuckles turned white as his grip tightened around the white terrycloth. Below a flurry of knives flew between Evangeline and the Butcher.

"We'll see how the research goes. See how far that'll push her." Cross turns sharply to Mr. X.

"Since when did you become a Sloane sound box?"

"Listen, you know I hate this as much as you do, but who are we to argue with Sloane. That man has a reason for everything."

"Yea.." Cross trailed off wistfully, his eyes softening as they traced Angie's movements. "Yea. I hope so."

The next morning, Fox went to wake the young protégé, per usual. The young Evangeline could never be counted on to wake up on her own despite the seven or eight different alarms she managed to set the night before. Fox knocked on the door. "Kid, come on, you got a full day of hitting the books. Let's go." After waiting a moment, it was clear that the girl inside was still somewhere in dream land. With a roll of her eyes, Fox pushed her way through the door, grimacing as her foot fell into contact with the sea of decay that Evangeline never got around to cleaning. "Seriously? I thought you cleaned three days ago."

A muffled groan was emitted from under the dark coverlet on the bed. Fox, a usually graceful woman by anyone's standard, trippingly made her way across the obstacle course of Evangeline's room and abruptly yanked the covers away from the small body curled beneath. "Rise and shine, kiddo."

The scene that Sloane walked in on was almost comical. The composed femme fatale of the Fraternity yanking at a pale white ankle of a young Asian girl while she buried her head under the pillow at the head of the rickety bed and begged for another few minutes. "Fox! Comon! Two minutes!"

"No can do, kid. Two of your minutes is like two hours in real time. Up!" It was then that Sloane decided he had to intervene. Fox's patience was obviously wearing and if he didn't intervene soon, his young friend would be staring down the barrel of a revolver.

"Alright, Evangeline. Enough. You really do have a lot to accomplish today." The tugging stopped and the head full of black hair poked out from beneath the pillow, mussed and confused at the sudden appearance of a new authoritative voice. She quickly scrambled out of bed and stood in her sleep clothes next to the aggravated Fox.

"Thank you, Fox. It was a valiant effort." Sloane's plan to send the no-nonsense woman to wake the girl for a change had obviously failed. "Now Evangeline, if you would kindly extricate yourself from this….den of yours, we have a lot of ground to cover today."

Evangeline shot a nervous smile at Fox and tripped after Sloane. The woman merely raised an eyebrow in response. Neither of them regarded the fact that they were the only two females within a ten mile radius as any indication that they should immediately become the best of friends. Instead both decided that settling into a parallel existence of indifferent acquaintance would be wisest, and indeed, it worked for everyone.

"So…What is it that I have to do today?" Sloane looked back. He stopped in front of another set of doors that Evangeline had never seen before (nearly a month here and she was still uncovering new doors everywhere she went.) With a dramatic flourish, he flung the peeling, wooden doors open to reveal a room covered entirely of books. Evangeline's jaw dropped open.

"You, my dear, will be doing research today." One could practically see the neuron's in her head exploding as she took in the sheer magnitude of material that was placed for her on a table in the middle of the room. "History of the Fraternity 101, Ms. Chang."

Three hours later, any sort of studying that may or may not have been occurring in the library had degraded into a pyramid building project using the dusty tomes that had been laid out for her perusal. Evangeline let out a long breath, ruffling her bangs. Leaning back in the cushioned chair, she considered how much more useful this room would have been had Sloane installed a giant fan beneath the floor to make the library a sky diving tunnel instead. "Yea, way more badass."

Leaning back a little bit more to let her head drop back one particular volume caught her eye. In faded gold lettering, and Roman typeface, there was her last name, "Chang." She would have been stupid not to look. Evangeline rose from her chair and retrieved the heavy black book from the shelf. Nothing could have prepared her for what she saw next. As she flipped to the first page she was met with a black and white photograph of the man she had come to know as Dad. As her fingers deftly turned through the pristine pages she found herself feeling like she was facing Pandora's Box itself, except looking at the text, it was highly unlikely that any sort of Hope would lie at the bottom.

In the next few hours, Evangeline devoured the entire album, dedicated entirely to documenting the atrocities of her father. Instead of feeling fear, sadness, and disgust at his misdeeds, she only noticed the

strange, unsettling clicking puzzle pieces she didn't know existed falling into place.

Before she knew it, an irresistible urge to destroy something seized her gut. It was completely irrational, but at the moment her entire world was at ruins beneath her feet, and the completely ordered nature of her surroundings screamed for deconstruction.

Outside, Cross rested against the doorframe while Sloane stood with his ear pressed to the rough grain of the door. "Ms. Chang seems to have found it. That was quick."

"Yea, well, Angie's a smart kid." A large bang against the door, most likely from a piece of thrown furniture made them both jump. Sloane smiled.

"That she is, Mr. Cross." He turned on his heel and strode away, leaving Cross to wait until the storm inside tired herself out before going to do some reconstruction.

When he finally deemed it safe enough to go in without getting his head knocked off by launched projectiles, he crept inside. The room was in ruins, and there she was, slumped against the far wall, disheveled and panting, her face stained with tears.

He silently made his way over to the epicenter of the quake and slid down beside her. A slight grunt managed to escape his lips as his back caught against an upturned book jutting from the shelves. Cross let out a deep breath.

"Why didn't anyone tell me before.." Her voice was shaky and garbled. He turned his head and watched carefully as she raised her head to lean against the wall of books, her glassy eyes catching the light.

"You weren't ready then."

Everything was silent for a moment. The only movement came from the liquid brimming over Evangeline's lower lids.

"I'm still not ready." Her arms instinctively retracted and wrapped around her slim frame. Cross reached out and enveloped her shaking body in his and pressed his lips to the top of her head.

"I know, kid. I know."

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Ooooo things are starting to get dramaticcc

Disclaimers galore *sigh* I don't own Wanted.


	10. In which new firsts are established

I am SO SORRY for the long wait on this chapter :(. I hope you guys are still with me!!!!

In any case, it may be a bit choppy, and I will go back tomorrow and reread/edit some parts, but for now, here it is.  
BTW I put some reference pictures up in my profile for this story. Let me know what else you want to see :)

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_**In which new firsts are established

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**_

A week later, Sloane called Evangeline into the room containing the Loom of Fate to hand her the artifact that she had been dreading. He peered at her over his glasses, he handed her the slip, attached to a swatch of white linen fabric. Evangeline took it silently, reluctantly, tight jawed, and pale, as if he was handing over her own death sentence instead of her father's.

"Your first job, Evangeline."

She simply turned around and made her way out the door, the orders of the Fraternity clenched in her fists. Just as she was about to exit through the large double doors, Sloane's voice pulled her to a stop.

"I hope you understand, Evangeline, this is a test, and failure will not be tolerated."

The girl paused, staring at the ground in front of her. With a clenching of her jaw and a final swallow of tears, she made her way out of the door. Sloane remained behind, simply standing with his clipboard and pencil poised between is fingers. With a heavy sigh, he removed his glasses and gives a hard pinch to the bridge of his nose. This was going to be more difficult than he thought, for all of them.

Later in the afternoon Sloane met with Cross, Mr. X, Fox, the Gunsmith, and the Repairman while the Butcher kept Evangeline busy. While Fox was draped elegantly in a chair, the rest of the men remained scattered and standing about the room. Cross in particular, stood, leaning against the far wall with a set grimace on his lips. This whole business with Evangeline executing her father as a sort of test simply didn't sit right with him. Loyalty be damned, setting daughter against father was sick.

He had eventually managed to get Evangeline calmed down, but ever since that day in the library, she seemed to be in an emotional deadlock. Every day she would robotically go about her duties without a flicker of the usual light she managed to cast in the Fraternity dwelling. Each member had tried his hand at getting her to laugh or even crack a smile, but to no avail. She had cut herself off and boxed herself in.

"I'm sending Fox with her." Sloane stated. Cross's head snapped up. The rest of the members remained motionless, obviously having been previously informed that this would be the course of action.

"Sloane, I'll go." It was clearly a demand on Cross's part. The room stood silent for a moment as his words swirled through the air before finally settling in a thick film making the world seem heavy and muted until Sloane's voice cut through.

"No."

"But wh-"

"It has to be _her _kill, Cross, _without_ interference from you." The two men were now standing at opposite ends of the table, their eyes locked in a soundless battle.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Fox, who had been watching the scene unfold with an air of almost bored indifference, suddenly looked up and engaged Cross in a steady glare.

"You baby her. Stop trying to replace Wesley. She's not your boy, so don't treat her like she-" She never managed to finish her sentence. In the blink of an eye, Cross was across the room, pinning Fox to the wall.

"Don't you **dare** talk about Wesley. You have **no** right." His voice was dangerously low, his nose mere millimeters from Fox's. The woman didn't budge an inch. The only sign of discomfort she showed was a small flinch as Cross gave her a final shove against her jugular before stalking out the door.

"Well that went well, don't you think?" Fox muttered.

"As well as could be expected." Sloane gathered his paperwork and strode calmly out the doors after Cross. The rest of the Fraternity took this as a sign that the meeting had been adjourned and took their time filtering out of the meeting room. The only one who remained inside was Fox.. She stood a moment longer in the empty room, her expression thoughtful. The results of this game of Sloane's would have interesting results indeed.

To say that the night of the assassination was tense would have been the greatest understatement made in history. After the conference, Cross had holed himself up in his room, refusing to come out, much less look at or talk to any of the other members. Evangeline continued her training, and business went on somehow. Finally, it was time.

Evangeline walked out of her room, dressed in a pair of dark jeans, black t-shirt, and dark leather jacket. In the loading dock, the Fraternity was waiting. Sloane at the head of the group stepped forward and handed Evangeline a silver pistol nestled comfortably in a leather holster. "You remember our procedure, Evangeline?"

It was all she could do to nod wordlessly and slip the clip onto her belted pants. Fox, leaning against the wall of the room pushed off the concrete and stepped forward as well. "Let's go kid." She turned on her heel and moved forward, obviously expecting the girl to follow.

Before she could take one step, however, Cross emerged from the shadows with a scratchy "Wait." The man was obviously in bad shape. Unshaven and haggard, his breath smelled like a brewery. Still wearing the rumpled clothes of a few days ago he immediately clasped Evangeline in a rough embrace and whispered in her ear, "Listen kid, what they're making you do is wrong. You hear me? Think about what you're about to do. You can still back out, okay? You have a choice."

The small body in his arms pulled away and regarded him with glassy, doe-like eyes. "No. I don't have a choice. My fa- he took away my choice, when he decided to do all that he's done." Cross pulled her back in and cradled her head against his shoulder.

"Okay. I'll be here for you when you get back."

Getting her into the house was no problem, the hard part was making sure that she would follow through, as planned. So far, Fox was having an easy time, being the designated contact for this hit. Her job was to make sure that if anything went contrary to plan, she would be there to minimize damage, and that meant taking out everyone involved if necessary. It killed her to be put in this position, but it was a job, and Fox was never one to turn away from her job. It was the only thing that she had in this life that made any sense to her, and she wasn't going to let anything take that stability away. Crouched in the shadows of the Japanese garden, Fox kept a careful eye on the transmitted feed from a small camera they attached to Evangeline. The girl's breathing echoed softly in her earpiece, occasionally hitching a bit, and for a few seconds, stopping entirely.

For Evangeline, stability, and the job were the last things on her mind. She had thought about this night for weeks, mentally steeling herself against the onslaught of tears that threatened whenever she imagined the tableau of her standing over her dead father. The man who had raised her for 18 years would be her first victim. She kept telling herself that he couldn't be her father anymore. The man in the downstairs office, beyond that cracked mahogany door, sitting illuminated by warm lights was not her father. She wouldn't let him be.

Having been missing from her home for months now, it was a strange feeling to be entering the cavernous garage. It was as if nothing had changed. The black cars, sleek and shiny still sat in their usual places; there was still that patch of off-white paint on the far wall that didn't quite match the rest of the room. Evangeline had walked across that concrete floor billions of times before, but today her footsteps felt heavy and labored. The piece of foreign plastic and metal hanging from her hip seemed to pull down on her with the weight of the world. Though things looked the same, they were irrevocably different. As she approached the door that would lead into the home's gym where she first encountered Fox, Evangeline paused.

This was the final threshold, the point of no return. If she entered this house right now, she would have to leave a corpse behind. Taking a deep breath, Evangeline gently eased the door open. Glancing at the security camera quickly, she slipped her way in between the wooden panels, silent as a shadow. There it was, in all it's austere serenity, her workout room. When she had first embarked on the discipline of Chinese martial arts, her father cleared this space for her and had it converted. She had loved the airy expansive feeling of the clean white walls and would spend hours every day practicing her forms. Tonight, the walls, heavy laden with prizes and medals seemed to crush in on her, creating an oppressive atmosphere that made it difficult to breath.

She had to stop again. This time, however, she must have stopped for too long, because she was startled by the sound of Fox's voice buzzing in her ear. "Hey kid. Comon now, don't flake out on me." Evangeline swallowed hard and pressed forward. What felt like hours later, she finally arrived at the door to her father's study. Within, she could hear the soft scratching of his fountain pen and the muted clicking of the grandfather clock. Every sensation seemed to pulse and quiver around her. She wouldn't make a scene. She would simply slip into the room and do what was asked of her. She pushed open the door slowly, and slipped inside, concealing herself in the shadows of the bookcases. By the time her father looked up at the opening door, she was already hidden, trying to catch her breath for what would happen next.

Congressman Chang rose slowly from his desk to walk across the room and close the door once more. The click of the door shutting reverberated throughout the room. Evangeline was only vaguely aware of this sound. The only thing she could focus on was her father's feet, shuffling quietly across the lush carpet back to his desk. With no interference from Fox, Evangeline watched him work for a few more seconds before stepping into the light. "Ba." she said in nearly a whisper.

The man at the desk jumped at the sudden intrusion, but his face softened when he realized that it was his daughter standing before him. "Evangeline! You're mother and I have been so worried!" He rose quickly from his chair, arms outstretched in order to fold his little girl into an embrace. Before he even made it beyond his desk, the congressman was stopped by a second sound, much colder than the first. He paused, realizing that he was staring down the barrel of a silencer, and the metallic click was the sound of the safety sliding out of place. "Evangeline…what, what are you doing?"

She didn't answer his question. "Evangeline, I'm you're father. Think about what you're doing." The assassin's entire body was tense, vibrating with an almost imperceptible tremor. "Where have you been?" He stepped forward a bit more, making another move to capture her in his arms, but she jumped back realigning the gun to point at his chest. "Come now. Evangeline. Let's be reasonable. Put the gun down and we can talk this over. Tell me what this is all about. If you're in any kind of trouble, I can help. You just need to put the gun down."

Against her will, Evangeline's glare softened for a moment. The brief second of weakness allowed a few teardrops to escape the corners of her eyes. She desperately blinked, trying to regain control over her emotions. Everything about this felt so wrong. The gun in her hand felt alien despite the fact that only yesterday it fit in her palm providing a comfortable pressure. Her arms were heavy, so heavy and all her small frame wanted to do was lean forward and let the man in front of her hold her and rock her like he did when she was little. Evangeline's muscles slackened, her arms falling to her side. Immediately her hands, one of them still holding the firearm came up to her face to cover her face, her body shaking with silent sobs. She could practically feel her father exhale as he moved forward to take his daughter back.

Congressman Chang moved closer, until he was about six inches in front of his little girl, barely recognizable at this point in all that leather and dark clothing. He was so close that she could smell his cologne. Before he could take another step, Evangeline raised her head. "I'm sorry." And with those two words, she steadied her gun and fired two bullets into her father's chest. She barely registered the shock in his eyes before she lifted the gun higher and planted one more bullet between his eyes. It was done. In the Oriental garden of the estate, Fox breathed a sigh of relief. For a second, she thought that their protégé had lost it and that she would have to go in and do clean up. The woman spoke into the microphone. "You did good, kid. I'm coming in to get you. Don't move."

Moving was the last thing on her mind. Evangeline Chang stood where she was, eyes fixed on the wall, her father's blood smeared across the decorative fan. Her hands were ice cold and clawed in a death grip around the handle of her weapon. It still felt unbearably heavy, but she couldn't bring herself to let it go. It wasn't until Fox entered the room and attempted to pry it from her fingers that Evangeline broke out of her trance. Docile as a lamb, she handed Fox the gun and followed her out of the room, not even looking back at the body lying on the floor.

In the foyer of the Fraternity headquarters, everybody sat on pins and needles waiting for the return of the black van. The only question was, whether the vehicle would house one person or two. To the relief of everyone in that room, the corridors were suddenly alive with the sound of two distinct footsteps. Evangeline entered first, eyes vacant, followed by Fox who gave a definitive nod to Sloane. He rose from his place and came forward to greet the newest member of the Fraternity of Assassins. No words were exchanged, only a silent conversation of locked gazes took place before the man stepped aside, allowing the girl to make her way up the stairs into her living quarters. Cross silently followed.

As he stepped into the dark room, the creaking of the floorboards announcing his presence, Cross felt his stomach twist. She sat on her bed, back to the entrance, ramrod straight in the dark. Cautiously, he made his way over and sat next to her. The expression on Evangeline's face was heartbreaking. Once a vivacious and bubbly young woman, all traces of the girl was gone, replaced instead by an empty shell of a human being. The eyes were completely opaque, dead pools of nothingness, the mouth pale and pressed into a hard line, her cheeks pallid and grey. Without another second wasted, Cross pulled her into his arms. But rather the easy submission to his embrace, and the anticipated collapse into sobs, he felt her body stiffen. She fought him. She pushed against his chest, and beat his arms with her fists. Her slender legs kicked against his and beat against the floor in protest. "Let me go." she would mumble occasionally. "Please, just let me go." The words were accompanied by the thick garbled quality that always came with tears.

Cross refused to release her. "No, Evangeline-" At the sound of her name, she found a reserve of strength that allowed her to push out of his grasp leaving her standing in front of him.

"Don't call me that! Oh god-" The words came out in a screech and were followed by a hysterical peal of sobbing. "Please. Don't, just don't call me that." She kept repeating the words over and over again in a desperate plea. Finally, losing her strength, Evangeline collapsed in a heap at her mentor's feet. For a moment, he was at a loss. Cross sat on the bed, watching the young girl as her body was wracked with shivers, her voice nearly hoarse from crying.

He couldn't just let her remain in the middle of the floor, on her own island. Cross moved forward again, and with greater determination this time, crushed the Evangeline into his chest. This time, she didn't fight. She had lost all the fight that existed inside of her. Instead, she simply melted into his arms, and let him hold her like she wished she had let her father do nearly an hour earlier.

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Please REVIEW. I would love some feedback on 1) how you're enjoying the story so far 2) what I could improve on 3) character development/realistic plot development 4) anything about future plot bunnies :)

Enjoy!


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